Time Can Never Kill the True Heart
by eat-yourself
Summary: A woman from Snape's past has turned up into his life once again. It will be much harder for the pair to avoid each other now that she has filled the newly opened 'Healing Remedies and Treatments' position at Hogwarts. Will the two manage to get along?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own absolutely everything. Nothing belongs to J.K. Rowling. It is all mine...except not really. I own nothing. Everything does belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm just a fan.

A/N: I'm definitely not an expert when it comes to writing, so I'd like to apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling errors that you come across.

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PROLOGUE

Anxiety, nervousness, and anticipation were the only things I felt at this moment. My body shook slightly, while my hands trembled and to top it all off, my stomach seemed to be tied into a thousand knots. I was going to teach at my old school this upcoming fall.

"I never thought I'd return to Hogwarts to teach Healing Remedies and Techniques," I snorted. "If someone were to tell me that I'd be teaching 14 years after graduation, I'd tell them they were completely bonkers. I don't even know if I'll be able to survive."

For the past week or so, I had been packing up all my belongings that I thought would be prudent to bring along for my stay at Hogwarts. Before I left I remember looking around my modest and empty apartment which had a new uninviting atmosphere to it. It wasn't hard for me to leave though. I had grown tired of paying too much for rent every month, the ruckus the neighbors caused, and I was sick of living a solitary lifestyle.

I haven't always been by myself until recently. I have been in a few relationships over the years and had a fair share of lovers but none of them seemed to stick. They were usually casual encounters involving a couple dates here and there. If I was lucky I would manage to have a relationship for a couple of months.

Out of all the men there was only one who had kept my interest and my heart. He was handsome in a classic sense and he also had an awkward sort of charm that came packaged in a dry sense of humor and a sarcastic nature. Everything had started off rocky in the start of our new relationship but he came around eventually.

We had a fair share of bumpy moments though. He was moody and stubborn and somehow managed to be a complete ass even during the best of times. There was only so much I could take and after a year or so, I left.

I was ready for a fresh start anyway. I was ready to start my life over. And I was ready for some structure in my life again.

I started to wheel my trunk behind me that held all of my shrunken belongings. The grounds looked just as beautiful as they were when I was a student. I passed the lake with the giant squid and I also passed the infamous Whomping Willow. I could see and feel the sun shining brightly from above and the warmth that radiated from it seemed to calm my nerves down a little bit.

I approached the doors and stood outside for a while. I took a deep breath while finally mustering up enough courage to open them. _I don't remember these doors being _this_ intimidating when I was a student here, but that was many years ago so I'm not surprised if my memory of this place is a little faulty._

I finally grasped the door handle and slowly opened the door to the vast entrance. The different house tapestries were hanging from the ceiling. The four of them surrounded one larger one which proudly displayed the Hogwarts crest. The marble floor looked so spotless and clean that it seemed to shimmer beneath the lighting. Finally, I saw the handsome grand staircase off in the distance. I was awe struck. It was like I had been sucked back into my first year body.

When I had finished inspecting the large entrance, my eyes caught sight of a stern looking woman. _Ah, Professor McGonagall, I remember you. You seemed so uptight back then. I guess you managed to keep that up. _

"Ms. Keating," she said. I nodded slowly without speaking. "You may drop off your luggage here and Dipsy shall bring them to your room."

I gently presented my trunk to the house elf standing dutifully in front of me.

"Hello missus. My name is Dipsy. Dipsy bring missus belongings to her room," the tiny house elf squeaked.

"Thank you, Dipsy," I said and then focused my attention back on Professor McGonagall.

"Before you move into your private quarters, The Headmaster would like to see you in his office," she stated after the little house elf left with 'pop'.

Albus Dumbledore had owled me two months ago asking if I wanted to fill the position of the newly opened Healing Remedies and Treatments class. I immediately accepted his offer as I was in need of a new job.

Being back at Hogwarts was a surreal experience. When I followed my old Transfiguration professor, a wave of nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks. I remembered being sorted into Ravenclaw as a first year and the first day of classes, where I had to navigate my way around the large school. I remembered sneaking out past curfew in my 6th and 7th year, and of course, watching the Marauders walk through the halls or on the grounds with an entourage of giggling girls following behind them. I also remembered sitting in the library doing homework, and the occasional snogging session in random abandoned classrooms.

Soon enough we had reached the statue leading to the Headmaster's office.

"Chocolate Frogs," Minerva stated clearly. A spiral staircase appeared and it ascended up into an area out of my vision.

"Just walk upstairs and you'll reach Dumbledore's office."

"Thank you, Professor," I said.

"Since we are to be colleagues you may call me Minerva. I am no longer your professor after all"

"Minerva," I repeated slowly. She nodded and started to walk away without another word.

I walked up the staircase and reached the doors leading to the Headmaster's office. I lifted my hand to knock but before I could, I heard a familiar voice that said, "You may enter."

As I walked into Albus Dumbledore's office I gazed around at all the intricate and curiously shaped instruments that occupied his office. I spotted a sleeping phoenix perched on a stand next to the Headmaster's desk. I finally turned my vision to the elderly wizard in front of me, who was affectionately stroking the sleeping bird. He smiled at me and said, "Ah, Ms. Keating. It is my pleasure to see you again after so many years. Please have a seat." He motioned to a chair sitting across from his desk.

"Thank you for the opportunity to teach here Professor. Oh, and please call me Rose," I swallowed. My nervousness was starting to act up again and my fingers began to fidget absentmindedly.

"My pleasure, Rose. You may call me Albus" His eyes seemed to twinkle and he continued on, "I'm glad that you accepted the position. I couldn't think of anyone who was more qualified than you are! Other than Madame Pomfrey, that is," he quickly added and grinned.

Dumbledore and I continued talking and my anxiety started to lessen. We discussed my future lesson plans, his expectations and guidelines for the professors, rules and regulations for the students, and somehow we managed to switch the subject to socks and wizarding sweets.

Finally, Albus had decided to show me to my new living quarters and told me that dinner was at 6 o'clock in the staff room. He noted that the Great Hall was quite lonely with the lack of students, which is why they decided to take meals in the staff room before the beginning of every new term.

We walked to the first floor past some suits of armor and portraits that were talking quite enthusiastically about the upcoming school year to other ones nearby. Rose couldn't help but grin at the excited portraits. Soon enough Dumbledore and Rose made it to the door leading to her quarters and stopped before it.

"This is your room. You may choose your password once I am out of hearing range," he winked. "And there have been several protective wards in case you'd like some extra privacy and security."

"Thank you Headmaster but there really isn't much for me to hide nor is there much that anyone would want to take or know about."

"We're just taking some extra precautions, my dear. Well I must be off. See you at dinner, Rose." Dumbledore smiled and waved before turning around and disappearing around a corner.

I was left to my thoughts when I remembered that I had to choose a password to enter my room in the future. I thought for a while before coming up with 'Bell Jar' after the title of a muggle book I had come across.

When I entered my new living quarters I saw a cozy, decorated room with a leather couch and overstuffed chairs surrounding a fire place. On the right side room was a door to the bedroom which contained a comfortable looking bed and a few dressers and a closet. Beyond that was the bathroom door. The inside held a big claw footed bath tub, a large shower, and a sink.

I found my things neatly placed around the room. My clothes were left in my trunk though, which I was thankful for. _Dipsy probably thought that I would like to put those away myself,_ I mused.

I went to the bedroom and placed my clothes in drawers and hung up the robes and coats in the closet.

After I was done I threw myself on the bed and took a deep breath. "The school year hasn't even started and I'm already exhausted," I said out loud, "but I did just travel here and settle in so that is why I'm ready to curl up in bed and go to sleep."

Suddenly I remembered that dinner was at 6 o'clock and checked my watch. It was 5 minutes to 6. I quickly jumped out of bed and started walking swiftly through the halls. I was so flustered that when I descended down the stairs I failed to notice another person walking in front of me. We collided and I stumbled back a bit.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," I said while trying to compose myself. The figure merely grunted. I narrowed my eyes and finally saw who I had run into.

The figure was a man with a defined, hooked nose. He had onyx colored eyes which were partially covered by loose strands of hair that had fallen over his face. His hair had a greasy appearance to it and his skin was quite pale.

He scowled down at me and I realized who he was.

"Severus Snape," I whispered softly.

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A/N: Things will start to pick up soon. I promise! I hope this first chapter was alright and not too dreadful. This is my first story and I was a bit nervous to post it.

I also started this story months ago and had it posted for about a day or two before taking it down to edit it. I also changed some things and have a new outline drawn up.

The next chapter will be set a day or two back but this end scene will turn up again later in the story. It'll also be from Snape's pov.  
I'll try to update as soon as possible. I'm going to try really hard to put forth an honest effort to actually keep this going.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you're up to it. Constructive Criticism is greatly appreciated.


	2. Another Year

A/N: Hello! I started most of this while re-writing my prologue. I'm so stuffed from all of the Thanksgiving food. It's one of my favorite holidays over here in the States!

By the way, this is set during Harry's first year at Hogwarts and so on.

Now, on with the story.

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Severus Snape crossed the threshold into his modest house. A large, worn carpet passed beneath his feet as he trudged across the room. He dropped his light over coat carelessly on his sofa and proceeded to plop down on an unoccupied armchair.

He sighed as he reflected back on the day. He had just finished one of his annual trips to Diagon Alley. The new school year was fast approaching and he finally took the time to place orders for his student and own personal ingredient supply at Hogwarts.

He had also seen her again today while in Flourish and Blotts. He was trying to find the next volume in the _Potion Ingredients and their Properties_ series that he was reading, when he spotted her. He had walked past the "Healing, Illness, and Treatment" section and recognized the chestnut coloured hair that he had once been so familiar with. He had quickly moved on to his destination which was the next section over. He was thankful for the book shelf separating the two of them but his anxiety had risen significantly.

That was the second time he had seen her that week in Diagon Alley, but she wasn't as close to him then, as she was this time around. He was certain that she hadn't seen him and he was grateful for that fact. It was odd that he had run into her once more this week. He couldn't figure out why. The last he had heard was that she had moved to a different country some where else.

"Rose Keating," he muttered to himself while kicking off his shoes.

Now, the pair had not ended on good terms, terrible ones at best. He had treated her poorly even though she was the utmost faithful and kind to him. Snape was surprised at how long she had put up with him and his fowl moods.

He remembered the day that she had left. Snape had come home to his house at Spinners End one day and discovered her suitcases packed with her belongings, sitting next to the door. She walked out into the sitting room and he glared at her menacingly.

"What do you think you're doing," he hissed.

"Leaving," she replied plainly and walked to pick up her things but he had grabbed her arm and locked his dark eyes with her grey ones.

"Let go," she said forcefully, and tried to wriggle her arm free from his grasp.

He let go, but kept eye contact with her. She stared back and then turned to leave. Before she had managed to walk out of the door, he muttered to himself, "It's about time you left."

She stopped for a moment. He had expected her to turn around but she didn't. She sighed and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

Looking back on things now, Snape couldn't blame her for leaving. However, right after she was gone he felt a sense of elation, like a burden was lifted off from him. As the days seemed to pass though, he would become furious with her. He was angry because she had left. He was angry because she hadn't even bothered to put up a fight. He was angry that she was never coming back. And he was angry with himself for letting one of the few woman who cared about him, go.

Snape knew that he had tried to use Rose to get over Lily, but no matter how hard she tried to help him move on, he just couldn't do it.

There were times when he had really noticed Rose's absence. He enjoyed her company for the most part when they were together. He remembered times when he would lie on the couch with his head in her lap. There would be a fire burning in the fireplace and she would stroke his hair. He liked the silence and her calm nature back then. After she had left he had time to realize how much her presence had affected him. Having Rose there with him was comforting and he hated the emptiness he felt now that she was gone.

She always tried to make him happy and she had managed to achieve that sometimes, but she could never replace his Lily, no matter how hard she tried. Some days Snape thought that he hadn't even given Rose the chance to enter into his heart like he had let Lily do years ago.

He had gotten used to a solitary life again after Rose had left, but seeing her again today filled him with a sense of regret and made his heart twinge.

The new term was beginning soon and that would provide him with a distraction from the outside world again. He didn't enjoy the summer holidays as much as he used to.

"Another year has passed and I'm still stuck with the Potions position," he muttered angrily. "I am more than qualified to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts yet Dumbledore continues to turn me down every year."

Snape decided to start gathering some of his belongings and prepare to leave for Hogwarts tomorrow. He walked to his bed chambers and examined the room. _There isn't really much to take along with me. The majority of the things I need are already at Hogwarts._ He sighed and began to grab a few clothing items and threw them haphazardly in a traveling bag.

He scanned the room once more before deciding to retire to bed early that night. He undressed and pulled on a night shirt, climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. He finally closed his eyes and slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

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The following morning Snape prepared himself for the day before apparating to the front gate at Hogwarts. He muttered a few incantations and then proceeded to walk through the gates and towards the castle.

He had heard earlier in the summer that Dumbledore had opened up a new teaching position for a new class. _I wonder what strange sort of character that man hired this time, _he thought before finally reaching the doors.

Snape entered the familiar castle and immediately went down to his private quarters, not wanting to run into any other professors and end up talking about his summer or listening to what they did during their summer, for that matter.

He reached his room and walked in, setting his bag down on the table sitting in front of the couch. He had lots of time to unpack later so he decided to read his new book that he had purchased. He summoned the large volume from his bag and began to peruse the pages. He skimmed past the basic things that he already knew and stopped to read about things that he wasn't particularly familiar with. Before long he began to dose off, despite his more than adequate amount of sleep from the previous night.

He awoke feeling hungry and called a house elf to his room for lunch. After he was finished he summoned a house elf to take the dishes away and heard a knock on his door. "Great, I wonder who this is," he grumbled. He walked over to the door and opened it. It was Albus.

"Hello Severus! I hope your summer went well. I'm glad to have you back again this year," the older man smiled.

"My summer was fine. You may come in and sit down," Snape replied.

"I'm quite excited for this upcoming school year. I'm eager to see how things turn out with the new class that we are offering this year. We have two fresh faces coming in to teach too!" Albus said while walking into the room and seating himself into an armchair.

"Yes, I got your message in the post about the new class. What made you decide to open up the position?" Snape inquired.

"I thought it would be a good idea for the older students to learn some more healing techniques and expand their basic knowledge that they have learned from some of the other classes."

"I suppose that would be a prudent," Snape replied shortly.

"Severus, I know that you are still disappointed with my decision to have you stay on as the Potions professor but I believe that you are the most qualified to teach that class."

Albus had always been kind to Snape, but sometimes the man was infuriating. Snape grew tired of being the Potions Master and even through all the years of rejection, he still tried every year to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.

"Yes, I've heard it all before, Albus. The position is cursed and you need me to stay on as a staff member even though the Dark Lord has fallen and my life is no longer in risk," he replied, obviously frustrated.

"I know that, Severus, but you are still a valued staff member here at Hogwarts. It would be a terrible thing to lose your talent and expertise."

Snape sighed before asking, "What is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Absolutely nothing," Albus said with the usual twinkle in his eye. "I merely wanted to see how your summer went. Did anything interesting happen?"

"No, nothing at all."

"Alright, then I'll leave you to yourself once more. I have to go greet one of our newest staff members. She is due to arrive any minute now. Remember to come to dinner at 6 o'clock. There will be a staff meeting proceeding afterwards," Albus smiled before walking out of the door, leaving Snape alone to his thoughts once again.

'She_ is due to arrive any minute now'_ Snape thought. _I wonder who _she _is and if _she_ will be teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year. _Snape scowled before picking up his book and began reading where he had previously left off.

This was going to be a long year. He could feel it.

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A/N: Next chapter: Enter, Rose!

So, Pt. I of the 7th Harry Potter movie was absolutely amazing! It follows the book so well. My only complaint was that there wasn't enough Snape or Death Eaters haha. I got a satisfying amount of Bellatrix though (I LOVE HELENA BONHAM CARTER) to keep me happy. I can't wait for Pt. II! There will be more Snape action but that means I will shed more tears xD

Updates will start to come a lot slower now. I love feedback, so reviews are most welcome!


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